Journalist Distance and the Soccer Star
– Contention between journalist and star athlete, interviews that reveal and conceal, tension, frustration that builds till the characters react, sometimes with passion, sometimes without conscious thought for consequences. Welcome to Ryan Moore’s ‘Burning Boundaries’, a glimpse into the interactions between pesky, unrelenting sportswriters and the high-strung sportspersons they cover, often at cross-purposes with each other. Digging for angles, for underlying sources for performance issues, our writer Zach irritates, needles, pushes soccer superstar Kian beyond what he is used to, into ever more frustrating territory, until a breaking point is reached, in an alley outside a bar where the two, instead of dueling with fists, duel with tongues upside a brick wall. Suspend your disbelief, this is art not reality, you are sometimes in the minds of the characters, sometimes watching them, as they act and react without thought at times, but always with passion.
– Uneasy circling of the MCs as they test each other at press conferences and in-person interviews; Moore’s maddening dialogue exchanges, as always interspersed with eloquent silences, submerged meaning and only guessed-at inferences leave the men more frustrated, more attracted yet angry, more turned-on. Is this what sport journalism is all about, those televised bon mots of information between smiling journalists on the offensive and the deflecting, often cynical or cryptic, answers delivered by sports stars that we are all familiar with? A battle of wit, volleying statistics and critiques back and forth like tennis balls. Journalists always seem to have insight into the players, and there is a surface camaraderie, but we are all human, we all have feelings, emotions under the surface. What are the real relationships formed between interviewers and interviewees? This is the question Ryan Moore plays with in this sweaty slow-build of tension, whether the interview is in front of the camera or in the locker room, fully dressed, or in only a towel, composed or dripping from the showers, with always a whiff of perspiration. Do interviews lead to lip-locks, does frustration/anger lead to angst, to self-inquiry, to action on and off the field?
– I’m not sure, I’ve never been a sports watcher outside of the Olympics. I don’t understand why people watch team sports inside, rather than going outside themselves and doing something, like swimming, water-skiing, skiing, hiking. Those I can do, myself and with others. But, I do enjoy reading, and this is well-written, well-researched, the character psychology is sound for the world they exist in, and it elicits feelings in me of frustration and wonder, angst and understanding, and in the end, hope for resolution and happiness for Zach and Kian, singly and possibly together. I enjoyed this glimpse into the foibles and vulnerabilities of the too-human players and critics who love/hate them.
– As is often the case with Ryan Moore, his ‘bonus’ story resolves many of the questions left unspoken by his characters, giving motivation and clarity for their actions, responses, and mysterious dialogue. Thus, ‘Burning Memory’, Kian’s story gives us insight into his tightly controlled responses to Zach’s interviews and question, lets us see what is eating at him, what affects his performance on and off-field. Underneath his professionally crafted control, Kian is vulnerable, he fears being forgotten, of not being valued. Zach’s professional removal from his subject, his journalistic distance has provoked, disturbed, rattled Kian at a primal level; it has raised self-doubts, led him to re-evaluate himself, his abilities, and what he wants in future. Remarked at in the main story, this is driven home in the bonus story. Kian is a complex man who has been challenged by Zach at a personal and profound level, and his resolve to humble himself, to reach out, to be vulnerable and to encourage a relationship is a maturation of character. One can only hope Zach becomes aware and accepts the offer. Again, Moore’s bonus is worth all the bated breath and frustration elicited by his enigmatic characters’ main story; it raises the valuation from 4.5 to 5 stars easily, and raises the spice level, as well. Ah-hah moments, indeed.
